This invention relates, in general, to waste disposal and, in particular, to systems and methods for waste disposal for use in vehicles.
Boats over 65 feet in length are required by the U.S. Coast Guard to include toilet facilities thereon. Also, it is desirable to prevent waste, e.g. excrement, from uncontrollably entering waterways due to the potential for environmental contamination and the possibility of sickness and disease being caused to humans. Often, the solution to such problems is to provide a holding tank to maintain the wastes securely until a boat returns to port. However, such holding tanks add additional weight and occupy valuable space on the boat otherwise more preferably utilized for other purposes. Moreover, a loss of resources results when waste is discarded which might otherwise be used for productive purposes, such as powering the boat. The issues described apply equally to waste disposal for other vehicles such as recreational vehicles and campers.
Thus, a need exists for a system for disposing of waste, which minimizes the amount of space it occupies on a boat or other vehicle while preventing environmental contamination and conserving resources.
The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a waste disposal system for use in a vehicle, which includes a holding tank for receiving waste and a separator for receiving the waste from the holding tank with the separator being configured to separate the waste into a liquid portion and a solid portion. The system further includes a macerator for receiving and macerating the solid portion received from the separator. An engine is included for providing power to the vehicle and which is configured to receive and incinerate the solid portion.
The present invention provides, in a second aspect, a waste disposal system for use in a vehicle, which includes a holding tank for receiving waste and a separator for receiving the waste from the holding tank with the separator being configured to separate the waste into a liquid portion and a solid portion. Further included is an engine for providing power to the vehicle and an evaporator for receiving a liquid portion. The evaporator is thermally coupled to the engine for evaporating the liquid portion, when the liquid portion is received in the evaporator.
The present invention provides, in a third aspect, a waste disposal method for use in a vehicle, which includes separating waste into a solid portion and a liquid portion at a separator and macerating the solid portion at a macerator. The method further includes receiving the solid portion at an engine and incinerating the solid portion and/or fuel in an internal combustion process of the engine.
The present invention provides, in a fourth aspect, a waste disposal method for use in a vehicle which includes separating waste into a solid portion and a liquid portion in a separator and generating heat by an engine to power the vehicle. The method further includes receiving the liquid portion at an evaporator thermally coupled to the engine and evaporating the liquid portion using heat from the engine.